


Against All Odds

by AdelvinaGaarder



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Everyone is happy here, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Armitage Hux, M/M, Post TROS, Post-Canon Fix-It, Redeemed Ben Solo, Resurrection, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers, That applies to both ships btw, kylo to the rescue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:06:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21854194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdelvinaGaarder/pseuds/AdelvinaGaarder
Summary: (TROS Spoilers Alert)Kylo Ren knew what he had to do. He had to save Rey and kill Palpatine. When he eliminates the Sith, he would die unless he find help, find someone to keep a part of him like the Sith followers did for their Emperor. Ironically, a mole showed up in the Order, a particular surprising and infuriating mole that may eventually be his salvation.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Kylo Ren/Rey
Comments: 14
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the Post Canon Fix-it for TROS. Spoilers ahead! You are not alone if you think Ben Solo dying for Rey and Hux being killed after discovered as the mole is a very unsatisfying ending. So here comes the fix-it that will attempt to make a better story for both Reylo and Kylux. This story is told from Ren and Hux's POV. Enjoy.

A mole. A tsking mole in his Order! A high-ranking mole who knew about his meeting with Palpatine and the Final Order! Kylo Ren couldn’t believe it. It was impossible for a traitor to appear among the High Command. They were all Imperialists, disgraced followers of the Empire who would be never imagine helping the Resistance. But obviously there was a traitor, and now the Resistance knew every progress he made on Palpatine.

He was aware that Palpatine would not be a secret to the Resistance for long. Not after he knew Rey’s identity. Admittedly, he was shocked knowing that Palpatine had an heir. Snoke never mentioned the identity of the girl. His former master only ever referred Rey as strong with the force. He had Hux went through an identity check once, only figured out her parents were no body who abandoned her on Jakku. Apparently, Rey’s parents pretended to be no body, they were heirs to the Sith Throne who ran away from Palpatine. Rey belonged to one of the Old Houses, one that ascended from Naboo just like him. And together they would put an end of the phantom emperor.

“Master.” One of his knights whispered into his mind. “Shall I present the Resistance’s head?”

“Give it to me.” Ren demanded, taking hold of the Resistance scum who relayed the intellect to the Resistance, to that damned pilot and traitorous stormtrooper. “I shall confront the High Command myself.”

Ren entered the conference room, crowded with High Command generals who worked on their strategies to hunt down the Resistance and look after traces of Palpatine. There wasn’t a lot of familiar faces, except the mob of ginger hair in the middle of the table. General Hux was in his usual shiny uniforms, his hair combed back and perfectly gelled. Recent days he hardly felt any anger or disdain from the General anymore. Out of fear for the force, Hux remained silence and would very rarely speak unless making reports or orders. Very well. It was very satisfying to no longer see the rabid cur barking, to see Hux obediently wiggling his tail at him. 

“There is a traitor in the Order.” Ren shouted, silencing the High Command within seconds. “Which one of you are responsible for this?” 

Silence erupted among the room. Everyone was quiet, their minds’ quiet too. A few stray thoughts lingered in their minds, wild guesses on the mole, disdain to Resistance sympathizers, and… uneasiness, a growing sense of uneasiness. Ren searched that emotion, until he locked eyes with the ginger General.

“I sense uneasiness from you, General Hux.” Ren spoke as he cautiously turned towards the man.

The General was obviously shaken by his discovery. His uneasiness exploded like tidal rushing down the ocean. “What? Your helmet?” Hux replied hastily. “It is smart.” He averted his gaze from Ren, trying to gain composure despite his rising heartbeats.

He was clearly hiding something. Ren tried to search Hux’s mind, except he couldn’t formulate any memory or idea other than plain emotions. Hux was very good at building walls around his mind, he was once trained against mind-reading in a mission and ever since, he subconsciously blocked off any interference by the force. Ren could violently tear the wall down, but Hux wouldn’t be oblivious and it didn’t seem like the right moment. He wanted to get information out of Hux, but preferably not in front of these imperialist rats, especially Pryde who was no doubt Palpatine’s sting puppet.

“I need immediate attention to the mole.” Ren commanded. “And I am here to tell you our alliance with Palpatine and his Final Order.”

Hux let out a breath, it was subtle, but it did not escape his attention.

“Is it true that they have an enormous fleet in the Unknown Region?” One of the General asked. “It is a surprise that they manage to build such a large fleet under everyone’s radar.”

“They are followers of the Emperor.” Ren answered. “They will bring Order to the Galaxy and restore the rule of the Emperor.”

“They have thousands of fleets wrapped up as what? A gift to us?” A General questioned, suspicion coloring his expressions. “How could we know we can trust them?”

He had enough questioning and he did not need officers who would argue his order. Immediately, Ren choked the General, sending him to ceiling before dropping him straight onto the desk. All the High Command gasped, refraining from any further suspicion. 

“We will join the Final Order.” Ren ordered. “We will kill Rey of Jakku and eliminate the Resistance. That’s all for the meeting. You are all dismissed.”

The members of the High Command rose to their feet, slowly exiting the conference room. Hux was making his way to escape the room as well, but not so fast. He hadn’t spoken with the good General yet after all. 

“General Hux, do stay.” Ren ordered. “I have a few words with you.”

General Pryde shot Hux a cold stare, his expression darkening momentarily. Hux was frozen at the spot, unable to take another breath as the fear seized him. Ren tilted his head, signaling Pryde to leave the room. The old imperialist did, leaving him and Hux alone.

“What orders do you have, Supreme Leader?” Hux bowed his head and asked so nicely. 

Ren did not give any order. Instead, he advanced towards Hux, who took a fearful step back, hopelessly trying to flee his Supreme Leader. He used the force to trap Hux’s legs, freezing him at his position. Hux shut his eyes, the resignation to death leaking from him. Ren raised his hand, touching lightly Hux’s face and dove into the man’s mind.

He saw glimpse of memories. Hux downloading top secrets of the Order’s agenda into the hard drive. He flew to the Outer Rim under the disguise of collecting intellect for the Order. Dropped the hard drive to a black-market merchant who had connections with the Resistance, anonymously. “All they need to know is that this comes from the Order and this is an emergency.” He said, pulling the cowl down this face to cover his ginger hair. The hard drive then transported through various hands, until finally making its way to the Resistance base. 

Once he removed his hold, Hux moaned painfully and turned his head from Ren. “You know I could kill you right now for treason.” Ren said as he furiously stared at the man, at the mole.

“Then put me down quickly.” Hux sneered, trying to act disdainful when fear overwhelmed him. “I bet you have been waiting for this opportunity.”

He had given thoughts into killing Hux for several times. The previous one being at Snoke’s throne room, where Hux questioned his legitimacy as the successor of Snoke. He always hated the way Hux thought he could rival with him, when he was as force-sensitive as a rock and had a shallow mind that only focused on personal glory. However, the anger he felt toward betrayal, it was hardly the first time Hux tried to backstab him. Instead, he was more curious, curious about why Hux would help the Resistance that he despised his entire life. 

“Why did you betray the Order?” Ren demanded.

“Are you not the mind-reader in the room?” Hux shouted viciously. “Do I need to spell it out for you when you can clearly drag everything from my mind?”

Ren applied more pressure to Hux’s throat. “I suggest you speak while you can, General.” Ren threatened darkly. “Cooperate and you will get a quick death. Or else I will extend it painfully with tortures. You have seen the things I did to the prisoners, General.”

Hux swallowed, calming his racing pulse before answering Ren’s inquires. “I did it not because I want the Resistance to win,” He replied defiantly. “But because I want you to lose.” Ren was surprised that Hux’s reply came startling honest, but then he caught Hux red-handed and it really left Hux with very little choices.

“Telling the pitiful Resistance of Palpatine and the Final Order will not hold me down.” Ren spitted his words. 

“Oh yeah?” Hux snapped at him. “I see perfectly how the Resistance outwitted you at Crait. You are strong with force, Ren, and so does the scavenger girl. If you talk about numbers, I don’t see you winning hearts either.”

“And here I thought your loyalty stands with the Order.” Ren rebutted as he continued to choke Hux, shallowing his breath but enough for him to speak. “I didn’t know you have so little faith with the Order. Where is the First Order poster boy?”

Shaking his head, Hux stared at him with utter despise. “I had high regards to the Order before it became your Order.” He replied, narrowing his eyes. “I have long realized I can’t stand against you alone. So, all I have to do is to use the Resistance into destroying you.”

“What makes you think the weak Resistance with little forces can ever compete with the First Order and Final Order combined?” Ren challenged.

“A feeling.” Hux replied. “The downfall of the Empire was due to the miscalculation of the Emperor. If Palpatine took control, it would not doubt be the doomsday of the First Order. The Sith had brought nothing of glory but chaos to the Empire, and it would be the death of you as well Ren.”

“I have no illusion believing that Palpatine could take over the Galaxy. His days are gone decades ago and there are no rooms for his reigns and the tsking force anymore.” Hux laughed mirthlessly. “Why stay on a sinking ship with a captain so disastrous and incompetent?”

Ren gave Hux an incredulous look, as if he gradually examined the General. While he was aware of Hux’s scorn to the force, he did not know Hux’s hatred towards Palpatine. He wouldn’t expect Hux to switch sides immediately after knowing that Palpatine was to ascend the Galaxy’s throne. Wasn’t the First Order Hux’s personal glory and life achievement after all?

“You seemed overly distrustful towards Palpatine compare to the others in the High Command.” Ren asked cautiously, trying to get more information from Hux.

“I had no loyalty to the former Emperor who sent the Empire to crumbles and the Galaxy to chaos.” Hux answered as he recalled memories from the past. “If it wasn’t the Emperor’s overfloating ego in believing his servant, he wouldn’t have been overthrown by the Skywalkers. His downfall led to the destruction of the Empire, and brought disability to many worlds, including my own. I was only five when war raged in Arkanis, my mother was killed, and Brendol took me off with the remnant of the Imperial fleet. I had never once returned to my home world and lived on ships ever since.”

“You believe Palpatine takes the blame instead of the Rebellion?”

“I believe they all take the blame. The ever-annoying Rebellion and its successor the Resistance, that old man of a fool Palpatine, they are all hindrance to order and peace to the Galaxy.” Hux explained, for once completely honest to Ren. “It was choosing between devils, but adding you into the formula, I decided to become a mole without a second thought.”

“Your hatred to me is impressive, General.” Ren remarked as he proceeded to talk to Hux about some minor changes in my mind. “I could always kill you. I didn’t kill you on Crait, because keeping you alive saves more trouble than having you dead. I wouldn’t kill you now, because I realize you are not a blind imperialist and I believe we can benefit from each other.”  
Hux scoffed loudly. “What makes you think you can strike a deal with me?” Hux challenged, tone aggressive despite having Ren around his throat. “Let me kindly remind you I give the Resistance intelligence because I want you dead.”

“And I you, Hux.” Ren let the insult slid off. “But I also share hesitation on Palpatine’s rule and his Final Order. I believe Palpatine cannot be trusted as well. He always wanted to kill me for being a Skywalker. I have other plans. And I need people to offer me assistance.”

“Are you deranged enough to think I can be your partner in crime?” Hux looked taken aback from Ren’s change of mind. “I just planned your demise, what makes you think I won’t sell you out to the High Command and Palpatine?”

“You already express your distaste in Palpatine and turn yourself in a Resistance spy. That leaves you completely isolated in the Order. I knew Pryde is suspicious of you, no doubt taking the choice to kill you once he catches your trail. You have no way in seizing power with Palpatine as a thorn on your side. You need to remove Palpatine, so do I.”

Hux fell silent for a moment, scrutiny over Ren’s offer. “Being a spy already put me on the edge, becoming a double spy will push me off the edge into the pit, having me killed. If power is not what I can get, at least I want to ensure my survival and yours denied. Are you going to kill me if I reject you?”

“You already establish a network with the Resistance, which means you know where to find them and you can relay intelligence to them. This makes you useful to me for the mean time. I need the Resistance to give my plan a little push.”

“And what is your grand plan?” Hux asked, “I hope it isn’t wooing the scavenger girl all over again. You failed miserably last time and I can assure you the girl won’t switch sides for you.” He was caught off guard by the bitterness in his tone. He didn’t want to sound like a bitter ex, but what happened between him and Ren in the past was too fleeting to call a relationship regardless.

“The girl is an essential part to all of these.” Ren revealed to Hux once more. “She had to join hands with me, or else no one could bring Palpatine down. We are bounded in the force as a balance, Palpatine needed us both for his restoration and Rey must stand with me. I need her to understand.”

“So, you had a force vision of killing Palpatine with the scavenger girl and you need to convince her to join you.” Hux concluded. “Very well. I will not oppose you in any sort of assassination to Palpatine, but I really don’t find myself in any of your plan.”

“Not for now.” Ren explained, releasing his hold around Hux’s neck. Hux took a few deep breaths and massaged his throat. “The vision shows me you will be useful, and apparently we have a common enemy, so that makes you off my kill list.”

Hux was visibly shocked, as he couldn’t believe Ren was letting him, a betrayer to get away. Their loyalty to the First Order was fleeting and disappointing. Nonetheless, he was grateful he had another day to live. He extracted himself from the painful position he was forced into and looked at Ren expectantly. 

“You are a Resistance Spy now. Do your damned job and keep them informed.” Ren said as he walked towards the door. “You are always a selfish man. Let your self-preservation keep you in line. Sometimes, you may not realize how keen and foretelling your survival instincts are.”

“Didn’t you wanted to seize the Sith Throne?” Hux asked, halting Ren’s steps out of the room. “If I continue to relay intelligence, it won’t be long until the Resistance came up with their fleets to destroy Palpatine and every last thing of the dark side.”

“I said I am not an ally of Palpatine.” Ren restated in a forceful tone. “I have plans, plans that don’t include Palpatine becoming the ruler of the Galaxy. And you can no longer make me lose either, because we have a common enemy and that bars you from killing me.”

Disappointment swam in Hux’s expression. “I see the immediate threat of Palpatine towards us both. If it is a truce you are seeking, then you shall have it for now.” Hux replied. “But don’t think for a moment I will become your ally. I will not hesitate with any opportunity to take you down.”

But you did hesitate back at Snoke’s throne room. Ren thought without the words spoken. He briefly considered Hux’s value in his plan. He could continue rallying intelligence. And he could help of the Resistance, who Ren sensed will be on this ship very soon. He would be discovered if he did so, but Ren had to make sure Rey had allies on her side, so she wouldn’t be entirely vulnerable to Palpatine’s calling. 

“Hux, take this,” Ren said as he threw it towards Hux. Hux grabbed it and opened his palm, it was the Supreme Leader’s medallion. A chip that implied he had direct order from Ren and could get through all the post within any questions. 

“I am a General and there is barely anyone who is in the position to question me.” Hux replied, looking suspicious over the medallion. Ren would never trust him enough to give him something so important, but desperate time desperate measures.

“I told you General Pryde is suspicious of you.” Ren said, “The medallion can keep you away from being caught, hold them off for a while.” In truth, the medallion has a tracking device and Ren needed to know where his General will be going to. Having someone with the Order to on his side, rather than Pryde who was Palpatine’s dog rather than his would very much put him on an advantage. Pryde could not be trusted in any sense and he was dreadful of that man’s fervent loyalty to the Emperor.

“If that’s all Supreme Leader.” Hux said, pocketing the medallion. “I will excuse myself.”

Ren watched him go, contemplating.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It felt like a bonfire being extinguished by a sudden, uninvited rain.

Hux felt like a dead man, who died the moment Ren wrapped around his throat and choked him with the force at Snoke’s throne room. Every breath he had take after that, it was borrowed from Ren and it could easily be put out like a moth drowning in the flame. 

His life once again lingered at Ren’s hand when the man confronted him at the conference room. He thought he could hide away from Ren, he thought he could stay alive longer. Ren shouldn’t be able to pick up his thoughts, not when he built a wall around his mind exactly the way Ren had taught him. But he guessed his nervous emotion could not escape Ren’s attention, just like the expression Ren had often used, a loud mind projecting everything into the thin air. 

Ren was an infuriating creature. He laid down his dignity to help the Resistance, only to find out that Ren wanted the Resistance to stay alive. He didn’t have a concrete idea of Ren’s plan against Palpatine. He couldn’t imagine Ren surviving Palpatine against all odds. Ren and the girl Rey were powerful force users, he admitted that fact, but even the both combined couldn’t possibly take down the Emperor and the entire Final Order fleet, right? In a sense, Ren was running towards his own grave. He didn’t know if he should be gloating over Ren’s foreseeable demise or the fact that he would fail in getting Rey to his side, again.

What Ren was up to is none of his business now. For whatever reason Ren let him live, he would seize it and survive like his survivor he always was. Palpatine was their common enemy, and it was his rivalry with Ren had to step aside in order to eliminate their immediate threat first. If he no longer helped the Resistance, the girl Rey would die once captured. And without her, according to Ren’s bizarre vision, the Galaxy would become Palpatine’s. 

Ren had led them to a spice trade port planet, convinced that the girl was there because he somehow sensed her in the force. Hux was to be stationed at the flagship, not on the ground taking Ren’s order, which was a blessing. 

“The intellect show that this trade port is under the Order’s control and there is no recent reports of any Resistance fugitives.” Pryde reported.

“Sir, do you wish to destroy the plan-“Hux shushed immediately when Ren raised his hand. He was conditioned into shutting up as soon as Ren’s expression darken, and his hand raised. He knew it was a sign of weakness but being thrown around and constantly choked had scarred him enough to avoid confronting Ren in the public. 

“I will search the planet with my knights.” Ren commanded. “You two will stay alert on the ship.”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.” Hux and Pryde answered respectively.

As he watched Ren’s shuttle descending onto the planet, Hux thought about the direction his actions were driving him to. If the Resistance did kill Palpatine and eliminate the Final Order, against all odds, there will be no place for him either. He would die along with his ship, like the nightmares he so often dreamed of ever since Crait. He could do the unimaginable, he could flee like the deserters he always despised, run into Outer Rim worlds and get a low-profile life. The idea seemed unreal, all his life he was building the First Order and he could not imagine a life without the Order. But then again, he was a dead man borrowing time from the person he hated the most in the Galaxy. 

His data pad chimed. There was a message alerting a ship had arrived the dock 39. It said the ship presented a Squadron Leader Pass, but there was no squadron being sent to the flagship now. He remembered all the missions and all the squadron leaders, all filed up in his head along with every minor details of the Order. 

Could it be them? The thought bubbled in Hux’s mind and it sent chill down his spine. Why would they run into the lion’s den? Oh, the beast captured, the beast who flew with Han Solo, Chewie was it? That dreadful beast even growled at him when they took him to prison. Ren thought about doing something to free the wookie, but it was too obvious, and the guards stationed around him was way too many. Pryde had a lot of man watching over the beast, it was not in his place to save it. But the Resistance wouldn’t think about abandoning their comrades, right? It was exactly the reason they choose to fly towards the First Order flagship rather than escaping its grasp. 

If this was Rey and her friends, Hux clearly needed to keep them alive. To keep them alive, he would have to open a few doors and try to keep the patrolling troopers away from them. 

“I received a message from the technical division that I must attend to.” Hux lied to Pryde, who furrowed his brows. “I will return shortly.”

Upon exiting the room, Hux entered a conference room and locked the door with his General level authority. He turned on his data pad and began to examine the pathway from dock 39 to the prison. It wasn’t a long way. His data pad was linked to the command system of the ship and he could open them remotely. Immediately, he opened all the doors to the prison. He forwarded a message to the stormtrooper leaders nearby, a fake order telling them to meet at dock 21 for joining Supreme Leader’s ground force. A few squadrons began to reply and walked away from the prison. This was the most he could do for them. He needed to return to the bridge soon before Pryde realized a Resistance ship docked their flagship.

Upon entering the bridge, however, Pryde was nowhere in sight. “Where is the General?” Hux asked one of the nearby officers.

“I am not sure, sir.” The officer replied. “He said there’s a ship landed, and he need to personally oversee it.”

Damn. That old fox was a smart ass. Hux exited the Bridge and travelled down the hallway to the prison room. He had to be there on time, had to be there before Pryde and his troopers captured the Resistance. He turned on his data pad and kept the update now, to see if there were any news of Resistance sighting.

And there it was. The stormtrooper surrounded 3 fugitives, 2 men and the wookie. He really wished the Resistance wasn’t always full of reckless and headstrong people who didn’t even have a backup plan. 

“Have them executed immediately!” Pryde ordered when Hux made it to the scene. 

The stormtroopers escorted the 3 Resistance members toward the execution chamber, while Pryde walked back towards the Bridge. Hux knew he had to hold off the execution, but Pryde was standing right beside him and he would be caught red-handed the moment he tried to draw the troopers’ attention. 

“Are you coming back to the Bridge, General Hux?” Pryde inquired.

Damn it. He could feel suspicion rolling off the man like tides. This was his one shot, his free fall off the cliff that he would unlikely survive. “No, General Pryde.” Hux replied. “I afraid I have to inspect the damage these Resistance scums had done.” He walked towards the execution room, feeling Pryde’s eyes glued on him with every step. Luckily Pryde did not say a thing and turned around. This brought Hux some time, and he needed to be quick.

The stormtroopers were already raising their blaster, aimed at the fugitives when Hux dashed into the room. He tried to hide his nervousness, the fact that he was about to shoot his own troopers and helped the Resistance to escape. 

“I would like to do this personally.” He commanded, the trooper next to him gave him his blaster. 

He stared at the fugitives. These men were chitchatting when they were about to die. How horrific. Hux had no idea if they were too stupid to be afraid or they had no fear of death. Probably the former. He noticed that the scavenger girl wasn’t with them. Where was she? Hux knew she had boarded the ship with them, since Ren wasn’t able to locate her at the trade port. He recalled Ren discovering an item from the wookie. Ren had them send all the wookie’s belonging to his own chamber. He sincerely prayed the girl wasn’t at Ren’s chamber, because he would be unable to save her at all if she was locked in there. 

Deep breaths. Hux told himself. Remove the safety lock and shoot!

The three stormtroopers dropped dead on the floor, their bodies bumping onto each other. This was hardly the first time Hux killed people with his own hands, but this was one of the few times he felt sorry. These stormtroopers were loyal and he would like to treat them with dignity. They were at the wrong place in the wrong moment. 

“I am the mole.” Hux admitted, lowering himself to pick up the fallen trooper’s blasters and slid them towards the fugitives. 

All of them were beyond shocked. Their expressions were comical, mouth dropped wide as if their jaws were about to hit the floor. 

“You?” The traitorous stormtrooper asked.

“What?” The damn pilot shouted.

“There is no time for explanation.” Hux chided them, turning himself towards the door. “I will lead you back to the dock, follow me.”

Dashing out of the execution chamber, Hux made a beeline towards the dock. The fugitives followed his steps, while staying alert of stormtroopers on patrol. It came handy when Hux had a habit to memorize every ship and every Order equipment he ever laid hands to, he could find the way to the dock even with his eyes closed. 

“Where is the girl?” Hux asked if they entered the elevator. FN-2187 shot the camera. Hux paid it no mind, since he already replaced the camera system of nearby elevators with static screens.

The Resistance pilot seemed to be struggling whether to tell him so. Hux understood his hesitation, he would find difficulties in trusting someone who were his enemy minutes ago. In the end, the pilot decided to tell him the girl’s whereabout after exchanging glances. “Rey said she needs to find the Sith dagger.” The man replied. 

The Sith dagger… He had hoped the girl didn’t storm into Ren’s chamber. It was too late to reach her now. The Bridge should be well-aware of the wookie’s escape and more troopers would be deployed towards this area. Not to mention that Imperial dog was loyal to Palpatine’s scheme, it would no time for him to link the Resistance to the Sith dagger. Hux could only hope the girl utilized her force tricks and made her own escape.

Ding. The elevator signaled their arrival to the dock level.

After leading them down to the corridor, Hux unlocked the gate to dock 39. “This will lead you back to your ship. Be quick!” He shouted, watching the fugitives rushing to the dock.

“Hey you!” Hux yelled at FN-2187. “Shoot me in the arm.”

The man looked puzzled.

“Shoot me in the arm, or else they will know.” Hux explained, rolling his eyes.

Bham! The blaster shot went straight into his leg instead. Hux realized FN-2187 must had a self-deficiency in understanding and complying orders. The impact tripped Hux off balance, landing him on to the hard, durasteel ground. 

“Why did you help us?” FN-2187 asked. 

Hux thought about his question. Why? He first did it to get it back at Ren, to gain control over the situation after Pryde gained authority over him. But now he already knew Ren was aware of his betrayal, and he let him run free because they had a common enemy. It was at this moment Hux realized he had defied the beliefs he grown up following and decided to cast all his previous life away for his own survival, for his freedom. This sounded dangerous close to the doctrines of these Resistance scum. And the thought horrified Hux.

“I don’t care if you win,” Hux hissed through the pain. “I did it because I don’t want Kylo Ren to win!” It wasn’t a lie, he really hated Ren from the bottom of his heart, albeit his motives changed a bit from his initial intention.

FN-2187’s lips thinned, expression distasteful. He stood there staring at Hux, as if considering asking him to go away with them. Pathetic. Hux could offer them information for his advantage, but he would never go as lowly as to join the scums. 

“Go!” Hux cried out. “Leave here at once, FN-2187!”

The ex-trooper followed his allies down the hangar. Hux watched them go, making sure they entered their ship before heading towards the med bay. He tried to put pressure onto his left leg, but the pain made it impossible to balance himself. He reached for his data pad and called for a med droid instead, sending distress signal to the main server. 

While the med droid tended his leg and fed him painkillers, Hux began to come up with contingency plans. If Pryde previously had suspicion on him, most of his wild guesses would had been proven to be right by now. He could hope Pryde doesn’t kill him before Ren made the order, but he knew that old Imperial dog had every intention to kill him, to eliminate competition. He missed the days when he had his loyal crew, had Phasma and Mitaka by his side. On this enormous, barren flagship, he was very alone.

Still, facing Pryde was inevitable. Hux rose up, clinging onto the cane given by the med droid, and made his way back to the Bridge. He formulated a cover story for the prisoners’ escape and marched onto the Bridge anxiously. 

“The fugitives managed to escape the execution room. They threatened me with blasters and forced me into opening doors for them.” Hux lied.

Pryde did not seemed to move. But when he pointed his blaster at him and shot, it happened so quickly that Hux didn’t even have the time to be afraid. Pain travelled from his chest to his entire body, he heard himself screaming, knocking onto the ground.

For a moment, he felt like he was sinking, sinking into a deep ocean. The dark was clinging to him, pulling him down to the abyss, where light cannot reach him. But he wasn’t drowning, and it felt serene to the sea swallow him. It reminded him of Arkanis, of the vast ocean that enchanted him and terrified him. It felt like Arkanis. He let the darkness engulf him, just like how he let Ren’s dark eyes captivated him whenever he stared into the man’s soul. He embraced the familiar darkness.

And then, emptiness. 

-

When Hux died, it felt like a bonfire being extinguished by a sudden, uninvited rain. Hux was a bonfire, his mind eternally loud, anger rolling off him, radiates around him. The fire of Armitage Hux had never once dimmed, because Hux was a survivor, and he never lost the will to survive. Ren could slam him onto the wall, could replace him with Pryde, could take away his little shred of dignity, and yet Hux still burned bright. Ren had long accustomed to Hux’s burning existence, that a constant in his life being extinguished sent chill down his spine. 

“Hux.” Ren muttered, leaning against the wall for support. His data pad chimed. He turned on the screen and saw a priority message: The spy captured and eliminated, Pryde reported. 

So that’s it. The blazing bonfire within the layers of cold durasteel, the eye-catching mop of ginger hair in the world of black and white, the scornful words coming from surprising pliant lips, all gone. One more ghost to haunt him in his dreams other than his damned father. Ren never thought Hux’s death would leave such a gaping hole in his soul, an emptiness that made him want to grieve. But Ren didn’t grieve. Now was no time for sentiment, not when Rey decided to face Palpatine, heading into his traps. 

“Put the body in ice.” Ren typed, sending the command to Pryde. “I will decide what to do with the body when I return from Endor.”

Ren took a deep breath and used every ounce of his mental strength to shield himself from whatever grieve he had for Hux. He just landed on Endor, landing his TIE-Whisperer on top of the Emperor’s vault. He had read a lot of empire’s documents recently, during these two years of hunting down Palpatine. It took him a blink of time to find the Vault among the wreckage of the Fallen Death Star. He could sense Rey very close, already at Palpatine’s throne. Ren must stop her from finding the Sith artifact, must stoop her from heading to Palpatine alone.

When he climbed into the throne room, he witnessed Rey falling out of the Emperor’s vault, looking terrified. The vault had a deep connection to the Sith, it had an ominous aura and it was likely the Dark attempted to lure Rey. Rey turned around and saw him, expression mingled with surprise and distaste. 

“Rey, you can’t do this alone.” Ren trying to convince her. “Come with me.” He reached out his hand, but instead of a grip, he was met with the tip of a lightsaber. 

After Ren destroyed the artifact Rey found, they fell into a familiar pattern, a dance of crossing sabers in a steady rhythm. Ren was the defensive one, blocking out Rey’s blow and aiming to unarm her. He did not want Rey to be hurt. But he was never a persuasive person and Rey didn’t seem to be deterred either.

Between the humming of lightsabers, Rey led Ren up to the rooftop of the wreckage. The Endor’s ocean was violently raging a storm, tidal splashed onto the wreckage ruthlessly. Rey had no place to escape now. He flung his lightsaber, ready to unarm Rey with a quick swing.

It was at the moment he felt Leia Organa. He felt Organa reaching towards him, the way she had did intermitted through out the years. He was calling his former name, the one he abandoned a lifetime ago, Ben, Ben, Ben. 

Ren hesitated, and hesitation always came with a huge price. Instead of unarming Rey, he was bested by Rey, who stabbed him at the gut, rupturing his right lung in the process. Pain flashed through his entire body. Ren took a ragged breath, staring at Rey’s terrified expression, before sitting down on the rooftop, too exhausted to fight. 

He moved his hand towards the wound. Blood was oozing from the wound, but not at an alarming rate as the lightsaber fried his flesh whilst impaling him. The last time he suffered such wound, it was Chewie’s crossbow and Rey’s slash, leaving him stranded on the cold surface of the dying Starkiller. Hux came for his aid, he found him among the thousand miles of snow and saved him from certain destruction. But Hux was dead now, there was no more salvation for him, no timelier rescue or being lifted into Hux’s transport. 

Rey looked stunned and sad, she stood there speechless, as if trying to stop her emotions from overwhelming. She was disoriented by the pull of the Dark, the truth about her birth and lineage broke her. She was afraid of herself. Ren was very familiar to these emotions, he remembered how Han Solo used to look when he cast a force trick, how Han Solo thought his eyes were too mature and hoped his son was not force-sensitive. People had been afraid of Ren for all his life, and deep down, Ren was afraid and uncertain of himself as well. 

As if making up her mind, Rey kneeled beside him and covered her palm over his wound. He could sense her reaching out the force, applying the life force to heal him. It worked, his wound was slowly knitting back together, blood stopped draining out his body and flesh no longer raw red. 

“I wanted to take your hand.” Rey said resignedly. “But it was Ben’s hand I wanted to take.” Leaving these strings of heart retching words, she left him and walked to his TIE-whisperer. 

Ren could not stop her from taking his ship. He was too exhausted, and he felt like he no longer had reason to move on. He watched Rey leaving, leaving with the ship that was a gift from Hux. He ordered Hux to have a look of the design, giving him comments on the whisperer, because he knew Hux was the ace engineer with abilities he could trust. 

“Hey son.”

The familiarity hit Ren’s heart with a grievous pain. “I know you are there.” Ren replied, turning to see Han Solo standing a few feet from him. “You are just my memory.”

“I am the image of your mind.” Han Solo agreed. He walked forward, reducing the distance between them. It should frighten Ren, he should had immediately draw his lightsaber and smash through the illusion. Yet he didn’t and he let Han Solo to comfort him, just like the frightened little boy he once was. 

“I know what I have to do.” Ren muttered the familiar words. “But I don’t know if I have the strength in me.”

“You do.” His father answered. “I always know you have the strength to do the right thing.”

Ren had no idea how his parents knew what to say at the right moment. But his father’s confirmation gave him the strength to overcome to struggle once enthralled him. He let both sides of the force to embrace him. Let it be the light or the dark. He needed all the power to defeat Palpatine.

With that in mind, he threw his lightsaber into the vast ocean. Let the past die. He no longer was the puppet of the Snoke or Palpatine, he no longer served the dark side of the force, he no longer sought the world through dominance. There was only a sole purpose left, defeat Palpatine. But before putting an end to Palpatine’s reign of terror, there was a debt he must repay. 

Ren took out his transmitter, fortunately intact, and sent a distress signal to his knight. His transport back to the Finalizer should arrive soon. After all, he had a iced body to retrieve and a sleeping beauty to wake up before his last battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave kudos or comments!


End file.
